Address matching

ABSTRACT

A method and system for providing address matching consistent with the invention includes comparing the address against a plurality of address records in a database, wherein the database comprises at least one of the following: a delivery point database ( 505 ) and an enhanced delivery point database ( 705 ). In addition, the method and system include providing output data indicating whether the address has been matched to at least one of the plurality of address records in the database.

RELATED APPLICATION

Under provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), the Applicant claims the benefitof U.S. provisional application No. 60/249,255 filed Nov. 17, 2000,which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of providing addressmatching. More particularly, the present invention, in various specificembodiments, involves methods and systems directed to providingcorrected addresses, completed addresses, and validity verification ofaddresses.

BACKGROUND

With the advent and steady growth of electronic mail and electroniccommerce, traditional mail, that is, the physical mail stream, willincreasingly be utilized for sending and receiving packages. In aneffort to lower operating costs and increase value for their customerbase, many high volume delivery users prepare packages and other itemswith automated equipment and presort and label the items prior toplacement of the items into the item delivery system. Delivery systemusers realize a cost savings by correcting addresses, completingaddresses, and verifying addresses, for example, prior to placing itemsinto the delivery system.

Therefore, there is a need for delivery system operators, such as theUnited States Postal Service (USPS) and other organizations toefficiently provide address matching. More specifically, delivery systemoperators desire to efficiently provide corrected addresses, completedaddresses, and validity verification of addresses. This is because in anincreasingly competitive environment, it is essential for a deliverysystem operator to reduce costs and exceed the expectations of those whoreceive a service.

One solution to the address matching problem is for the delivery systemoperator or the delivery system user to utilize the ZIP plus 4 (ZIP+4)system. The ZIP+4 system is a product of the USPS that came out of theUSPS Address Matching System (AMS) database. The ZIP+4 records, of whichthere are approximately 38 million, contain only address ranges, notspecific addresses to a particular delivery point. For example, thedatabase contains the address range, 100-198 Main Street associated witha unique ZIP+4 code.

Great inefficiencies are created in utilizing the ZIP+4 system because,for example, one address within a particular range may or may not exist.Thus with the ZIP+4 system, correct addresses of actual delivery pointsare not available. Accordingly, efficiently providing item attributeverification remains an elusive goal. Thus, there remains a need forefficiently providing address matching in an item delivery system. Inaddition, there remains a need for efficiently providing correctedaddresses, completed addresses, and validity verification of addressesin the item delivery system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, a method for matching an address consistent with theinvention includes comparing the address against a plurality of addressrecords in a database, wherein the database comprises at least one ofthe following: a delivery point database and an enhanced delivery pointdatabase. In addition, the method includes providing output dataindicating whether the address has been matched to at least one of theplurality of address records in the data base.

In another aspect, a system for matching an address consistent with theinvention includes a component for comparing the address against aplurality of address records in a database, wherein the databasecomprises at least one of the following: a delivery point database andan enhanced delivery point database. The system further includes acomponent for providing output data indicating whether the address hasbeen matched to at least one of the plurality of address records in thedata base.

Both the foregoing general description and the following detaileddescription are exemplary and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings provide a further understanding of theinvention and, together with the detailed description, explain theprinciples of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a system for providing itemdelivery service consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a system for providing addressmatching consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for providing addressmatching consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a functional block diagram of a system for providing addressmatching determining the validity of address data consistent with thepresent invention;

FIG. 4B is a functional block diagram of a system for providing addressmatching correcting an address consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 4C is a functional block diagram of a system for providing addressmatching providing a completed address consistent with the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary deliverypoint database consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a table illustrating an exemplary record of a delivery pointdatabase consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating an enhanced deliverypoint database consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a table illustrating an exemplary record of an enhanceddelivery point database consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating the composition of atypical delivery point identification key consistent with the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary deliverypoint key consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary recordtypes consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram illustrating the use of baserecord flag and alternate record flag consistent with the presentinvention; and

FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram illustrating the advantages of thedelivery point identification key of an enhanced delivery point databaseconsistent with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made to various embodiments consistent with thisinvention, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings andwill be obvious from the description of the invention. In the drawings,the same reference numbers represent the same or similar elements in thedifferent drawings whenever possible.

Exemplary Item Delivery System

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary item delivery system 100 that may be used inconjunction with the present invention. Within item delivery system 100,for example, an item 110 may be prepared manually by a user 105 or maybe prepared utilizing an inserter under the supervision of user 105. Aninserter is an automated device capable of assembling item 110 which maycomprise a mailpiece, such as a United States Postal Service PriorityMail package, or a United States Postal Service Express Mail package.While item 110 may comprise any of the aforementioned, those skilled inthe art will appreciate that still many other types of items may beutilized.

In exemplary item delivery system 100, materials are placed in item 110that user 105 wishes to send to a recipient 155. With the materialsplaced in item 110, an address label 115 indicating a first address 150of recipient 155 and a return address 107 indicating where to returnitem 110, if necessary, are placed on item 110. In addition, a trackingindicia 120 is placed on item 110 along with a delivery payment coding122. Tracking indicia 120 is utilized by a delivery system operator tofacilitate the delivery of item 110. The use of tracking indicia 120will be discussed in greater detail below. Delivery payment coding 122indicates the payment amount user 105 believes is required by thedelivery system operator to deliver item 110 to recipient 155. Deliverypayment coding 122 may comprise a bar code, an image indicating anaccount from which delivery payment has been made, a postage stamp, orother types of codings as are known by those skilled in the art.

Tracking indicia 120 may comprise a bar code, a PLANET code or othertypes of indicia as are known by those skilled in the art. A bar code isa printed symbol used for recognition by a bar code scanner (reader).Traditional one-dimensional bar codes use the bar's width to encode aproduct or account number. Two-dimensional bar codes, such as PDF417,MAXICODE and DATAMATRIX, are scanned horizontally and vertically andhold considerably more data. Generally, PDF417 is widely used forgeneral purposes, MAXICODE is used for high-speed sorting, andDATAMATRIX is used for marking small parts.

Historically, some delivery system operators sorted flat mail usingPOSTNET, a 12-digit barcode developed by the USPS consisting ofalternating long and short bars indicating the destination of, forexample, a mailpiece. Responding to the expanding needs of users,particularly heavy volume users, PLANET code was developed on thefoundation of the existing technical infrastructure. The PLANET Code is,in one respect, the opposite of the current POSTNET codes, reversinglong bars for short and short bars for long. This innovation offers theconvenience of a bar code that is easily applied using currentbar-coding methods, and is readily scanned by the high-speed automationequipment already located in the plurality of plants comprising adelivery system 130 as discussed below.

In sending item 110, for example, user 105 places item 110 or aplurality of items into delivery system 130 at a sender plant 125. Item110 is routed through delivery system 130 comprising sender plant 125, adelivery path 135, a first address plant 140, and a second address plant145. Delivery path 135 comprises a plurality of plants similar to senderplant 125, first address plant 140, and second address plant 145. Theplants within delivery system 130 contain, among other things, automatedsystems and sorting equipment and are designed to receive and process aplurality of items. Delivery system 130 is configured to sense trackingindicia 120 placed on item 110 as it passes through the elements ofdelivery system 130 directing the movement of item 110 through deliverysystem 130. Tracking indicia 120 sensed by delivery system 130 maycomprise a bar code, a PLANET code, or other indicia as described hereinabove.

In the delivery process, item 110 is routed to the next most appropriateplant in delivery system 130. The appropriateness of the next plant indelivery system 130 depends upon the present location of the particularitem in delivery system 130 and where item 110 is addressed. Ultimately,item 110 is routed in delivery system 135 to the plant that serves thedelivery address indicated on item 110, according to establishedprocedures. Thus item 110 is routed from plant to plant within deliverysystem 130 wherein item 110 efficiently converges on the plant thatserves the delivery address indicated on the item, in this case, firstaddress plant 140. Throughout this process, delivery system 130 tracksthe progress of items 110 through delivery system 130.

Delivery Point Matching System

Consistent with the general principles of the present invention, anaddress matching system comprises a component for comparing an addressagainst a plurality of address records in a database. In addition, thedelivery point matching system includes a component for providing outputdata indicating whether the address has been matched to at least one ofthe plurality of address records in the data base. As herein embodiedand illustrated in FIG. 2, an address matching system 200 comprises adelivery point matching engine 210, address data 220, a database 230,and output 240. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, the component forcomparing an address against a plurality of address records in adatabase and the component for providing output data are both embodiedin delivery point matching engine 210.

Delivery point matching engine 210 may comprise a personal computer orother similar microcomputer-based workstation. Those skilled in the art,however, will appreciate that delivery point matching engine 210 maycomprise other types of computerized devices, such as hand-held devices,multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Deliverypoint matching engine 210 may also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices andmay have the capability of connecting to a communications system. Thecommunications system may comprise a wire line communications system, awire line network, a wireless communications system, or a wirelessnetwork. “Wireless” can be defined as radio transmission via theairwaves, however, those skilled in the art will appreciate that variousother communication techniques can be used to provide wirelesstransmission including infrared line of sight, cellular, microwave,satellite, packet radio, and spread spectrum radio. Delivery pointmatching engine 210 in the wireless environment can be any mobileterminal such as a smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA),intelligent pager, portable computer, hand held computer, or any devicecapable of receiving wireless data. Wireless data may include, but isnot limited to, paging, text messaging, e-mail, Internet access, andother specialized data applications specifically excluding voicetransmission. A PDA is a handheld computer that serves as an organizerfor personal information. It generally includes at least a name andaddress database, to-do list and note taker. PDAs are typicallypen-based and use a stylus (“pen”) to tap selections on menus and toenter printed characters. The unit may also include a small on-screenkeyboard which is tapped with the pen. Data may be synchronized betweenthe PDA and a desktop computer through a cable or wirelesstransmissions.

Address data 220 may comprise any information relevant to the deliveryof item 110 through delivery system 130 including data from addresslabel 115, return address 107, tracking indicia 120, and deliverypayment coding 122. Address data 220 may be in any format acceptable todelivery point matching engine 210. For example, address label 115 ofitem 110 may be scanned by an image capturing system (not shown)utilizing, for example, a video camera. The image capturing system mayreside on a server separate from delivery point matching engine 210 thattransmits address data 220 to delivery point matching engine 210 over anetwork. This network may comprise, for example, a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). Such networking environments arecommonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets,and the Internet and are known by those skilled in the art. When a LANis used as the network, the image capturing system and delivery pointmatching engine 210 may be connected to the network through a networkinterface located at each of the respective the image capturing systemand delivery point matching engine 210. When a WAN networkingenvironment is utilized as the network, the respective image capturingsystem and delivery point matching engine 210 may each typically includean internal or external modem or other means for establishingcommunications over the WAN, such as the Internet. While theaforementioned may be used to provide delivery point matching engine 210with address data 220, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatmany other systems, subsystems and procedures may be employed.

Database 230 may comprise a delivery point database or an enhanceddelivery point database. Both of these types of databases are discussedin more detail below with respect to FIG. 5 through FIG. 13. Database230 may reside on the same server or system as delivery point matchingengine 210 or may be remote from delivery point matching engine 210. Ifdatabase 230 is remote from delivery point matching engine 210, the twomay be connected by any of the types of networks or communicationssystems as discussed above. In addition, address matching system 200 maybe operated by either the delivery system operator or delivery systemuser 105. In the case where address matching system 200 is operated bydelivery system user 105, database 230 may be provided to deliverysystem user 105 by the delivery system operator.

Output 240 may comprise any computer-generated information displayed onscreen, printed on paper or in machine readable form, such as disk andtape, transferred or transmitted from delivery point matching engine 210to any peripheral device (not shown) or communications line (not shown).

Address Point Matching Method

FIG. 3 is a flow chart setting forth the general stages involved in anexemplary address matching method 300. Exemplary method 300 begins atstarting block 305 and proceeds to stage 310 where database 230 isprovided to delivery system user 105. This stage is employed whenaddress matching system 200 is operated by delivery system user 105.Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many ways toprovide database 230 to delivery system user 105 including: transmissionover an LAN, WAN (such as the Internet), attachment to an e-mail, orplacing database 230 on a media such as a CD ROM or diskette anddelivering the media to delivery system user 105.

From stage 310 where database 230 is provided to delivery system user105, exemplary method 300 advances to stage 315 where address data 220is compared against the plurality of address records in database 230.Database 230 may comprise a delivery point database or an enhanceddelivery point database. Each of these types of databases is discussedin more detail below with respect to FIG. 5 through FIG. 13.

After address data 220 is compared against the plurality of addressrecords in database 230 in stage 315, exemplary method 300 continues todecision block 320 where it is determined if address data 220 is valid.If at decision block 320 it is determined that the address data 220 isnot valid, exemplary method 300 advances to stage 325 where anindication of an invalid address is provided for output.

FIG. 4A shows an example of determining the validity of address data220. A first address 405 and a second address 410 are presented todelivery point matching engine 210. First address 405 is 123 MainStreet, Anytown, U.S.A., 12345-6789 presented to the delivery pointmatching engine 210. Delivery point matching engine 210 recognizes thisas a valid address and reflects this in output 415. Delivery pointmatching engine 210 is also presented with second address 410 of 321Niam Street, which is an example of a corrupted address. There is nosuch address anywhere in the United States that matches second address410. Delivery point matching engine 210 determines that second address410 is an invalid address and reflects this in output 420.

Referring back to FIG. 3, if at decision block 320, however, it wasdetermined that address data 220 is valid, exemplary method 300 advancesto decision block 330 where it is determined if address data 220 iscorrect. If at decision block 330 it is determined that the address data220 is not correct, exemplary method 300 advances to stage 335 where acorrected address is provided for output.

FIG. 4B provides an example of delivery point matching engine 210correcting an address. Address data 220, 123 Main Road, Anytown, U.S.A.,ZIP Code 12345-6789, is presented to delivery point matching engine 210.Delivery point matching engine 210 provides a correction in this casebecause there is no 123 Main Road in this town, however, an exact matchto 123 Main Street is found. Delivery point matching engine 210 providesthe corrected address, 123 Main Street, Anytown, U.S.A., 12345-6789, asoutput 240.

If at decision block 330, however, it was determined that address data220 is correct or from stage 335 where a corrected address is providedfor output, exemplary method 300 advances to decision block 340 where itis determined if address data 220 is complete. If at decision block 340it is determined that the address data 220 is not complete, exemplarymethod 300 advances to stage 345 where a completed address is providedfor output.

FIG. 4C provides an example of a completed address. The address data220, 123 Main Street, Anytown, U.S.A., zip code 12345, is presented tothe delivery point matching engine 210. The result is output 240, 123Main Street, Anytown, U.S.A., zip 12345-6789, which now contains thefull Zip+4 code. The add-on of 6789 to the zip code is now a completeaddress.

If at decision block 340, however, it was determined that address data220 is complete, or from stage 345 where a completed address is providedfor output, or from stage 325 where an indication of an invalid addressis provided for output, exemplary method 300 continues to stage 350where output 240 is provided.

Once output 240 is provided in stage 350, exemplary method 300 ends atstage 355.

Databases

As discussed above, database 230 may comprise two different types, adelivery point database 505 (FIG. 5) and an enhanced delivery pointdatabase 705 (FIG. 7). Certain difference and similarities betweendelivery point database 505 and enhanced delivery point database 705will be discussed with respect to FIG. 5 through FIG. 13.

FIG. 5 shows an example of delivery point database 505. Delivery pointdatabase 505 contains all the valid addresses within item deliverysystem 100 in correct and complete form. The delivery system operatormay be prohibited, by law for example, from providing address lists. Inthis case, for example, a geographical segment code from an address inquestion, such as the geographical segment code utilized in the USPSZIP+4 codes, may be utilized to determine if the address in questionexists within the geographical segment, and if so, can then bevalidated, completed, or corrected.

For example, the address in question may contain a geographical segmentcode 12345-6789 corresponding to an address range 510 (100 through 199Main Street, Anytown, U.S.A., zip code 12345-6789) as shown in FIG. 5.From address range 510, all valid addresses 515 in delivery pointdatabase 505 corresponding to address range 510 can be checked againstthe address in question. From this, the address in question can bevalidated, completed, or corrected as needed. This is an improvementover past systems at least because past systems merely returned a rangeof addresses within a given geographical segment and did not verifywhether the delivery point existed or not. FIG. 6 shows is an exemplaryrecord 605 of delivery point database 505. This exemplary recordconsists of the 32 elements.

FIG. 7 shows an example of enhanced delivery point database 705.Enhanced delivery point database 705 contains all the valid addresses ofthe item delivery system 100 in correct and complete form similar todelivery point database 505 of FIG. 5. In addition, each address recordof enhanced delivery point database 705 contains unique delivery pointidentification keys 720 a-720 d.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary record 805 of delivery point database 705.This exemplary record consists of the same 32 elements as shown withrespect to FIG. 6 as described above. Included in the exemplary record805, in addition to the elements of exemplary record 605, is a deliverypoint key element 810. The significants of delivery point key element810 will be discussed below with respect to FIG. 9 through FIG. 13.

Referring back to FIG. 7, for example, similar to delivery pointdatabase 705, the address in question may contain a geographical segmentcode 12345-6789 corresponding to an address range 710 (100 through 199Main Street, Anytown, U.S.A., zip code 12345-6789) as shown in FIG. 7.From address range 710, all valid addresses 715 in delivery pointdatabase 705 corresponding to address range 710 can be checked againstthe address in question. From this, the address in question can bevalidated, completed, or corrected as needed. In contrast to deliverypoint database 505, however, address records of delivery point database705 additionally contain unique delivery point identification keys 720a-720 d.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the composition of a typical delivery pointidentification key 905. Delivery point identification key 905 maycomprise three elements: a delivery point key 910, a record type 915,and a record flag 920, which may comprise a base record flag or aalternate record flag. Each of the elements of delivery pointidentification key 905 are described in detail with respect to FIG. 10through FIG. 12.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary delivery point key 910 having a value of1999-07-10-12.06.33.223318. As described in legend 1010, starting fromthe left of delivery point key 910, the first four characters are theyear of creation, followed by a dash, followed then by the month ofcreation (two characters), followed again by a dash, followed by the dayof creation (two characters), followed by a dash, followed by the hourof creation. This is then followed by two characters for the minute ofcreation followed by a dot or period, followed by two characters for thesecond of creation followed by a dot, and then followed by a sixcharacter sequence number for records created within that same second.

FIG. 11 shows exemplary record types 1105 that may comprise record type915. The exemplary record types 1105 are as follows: S 1110 is forstreet records. This record type is for addresses that follow thecharacteristic 123 Main Street type addressing. R 1115 is for ruralroute boxes, for example Rural Route 1, Box 12. Next, P 1120 is for PostOffice Box, for example, Post Office Box 7502. G 1125 is for generaldelivery. General delivery is a service provided by the USPS undercertain conditions for people that either cannot or do not want to or donot need to rent a post office box or have other means of addressing.They can have mail sent to them addressed as, for instance, John Doe,General Delivery, Memphis, Tenn., 38101. An item addressed as such wouldgo to a specific place within the city of Memphis where the addresseecan pick the mail up periodically.

Next in the list of exemplary record types 1105, is H 1130 for highrise. High rise is used to identify multiple deliveries with the sameprimary address. For instance, if there are 17 addresses at one address,for example, 101 Main Street, they would be identified as high risedelivery points within that address, apartment 1, apartment 2, apartment3, and so forth. This is to differentiate those addresses from thestreet type address S 110 within that same geographical segment.Finally, F 1135 is for a firm record. Firm record type identifiesbusinesses that receive extremely high volumes of mail so that they canbe assigned a separate geographical segment such as a ZIP+4 code.

FIG. 12 illustrates the use of base record flag and alternate recordflag. Generally, record flag 920 is “base” if the address recorddescribes or represents the primary or best known address for aparticular delivery point. In most cases, there is one and only oneaddress record for any given delivery point. As shown in FIG. 12,address record 1205 is base, having 123 Main Street, Anytown, USA12345-6789 as the one and only address record for the given deliverypoint. There are cases, however, where there are alternates to anaddress for a given delivery point in the example of FIG. 12, thedelivery point file is alternate, for example, if the address known as123 Main Street, Anytown, USA 12345-6789 also has 123 Garner Street,Anytown, USA 123456789 as an alternate address record 1210. Thealternate address record exists only as a subordinate to the baseaddress record and may be precipitated by the changing of a street name.For example, Main Street may have once been know as Garner Street.

FIG. 13 illustrates the advantages of the delivery point identificationkey of enhanced delivery point database 705 over delivery point database505. Before the introduction of the delivery point identification key,in delivery point database 505, if an address was changed, for examplefrom 123 Main Street, Anytown, USA 12345-6789 to 123 Garner Street,Anytown, USA 12345-6789, no direct link was provided between an oldaddress 1305 and a new address 1310. So under delivery point database505, it is difficult for delivery system user 105 to actually trackrecipient 155 and ensure, for example, the same customer is being servedbased on the information that was contained in delivery point database505. It was also difficult for the delivery system operator to keeptrack of the same information. With delivery point identification key905 of enhanced delivery point database 705, however, if the address ischanged, for example, from 123 Main Street to 123 Garner Street inAnytown, USA, the changes can be tracked. This is because the previousaddress record and the new address record associated with the samedelivery point both have the same delivery point identification key 905.This provides the opportunity for delivery system user 105 or thedelivery system operator to understand that physically the two addressesare associated with the same delivery point, even though the addressesare different.

One benefit of enhanced delivery point database 705 is that deliverysystem users can track their customers in those cases where theaddresses were changed. These address changes can come about, forexample, in rural routes where the rural route box numbers are changed,in the cases of a post office box where the post office box numbers arechanged, or when the Post Office changes a customer's zip code.

In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the presentinvention provides a system and method for matching an address. Still,it should be understood that the foregoing relates only to the exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, and that numerous changes may bemade thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the following claims.

1-27. (canceled)
 28. A method for matching an address, comprising:comparing the address against a plurality of address records in adatabase, wherein the database comprises at least one of a deliverypoint database and an enhanced delivery point database; verifyingwhether a delivery point exists; and providing output data indicatingwhether the address matched at least one of the plurality of addressrecords in the database.
 29. The method of claim 28, wherein theplurality of address records in the delivery point database comprisescorrect addresses for a corresponding plurality of delivery points. 30.The method of claim 28, wherein the plurality of address records in theenhanced delivery point database comprises correct addresses for acorresponding plurality of delivery points, each of the plurality ofaddress records including a delivery point identification key.
 31. Themethod of claim 30, wherein the delivery point identification keycomprises a delivery point key, a record type, and at least one of abase record flag and an alternate record flag.
 32. The method of claim31, wherein the delivery point key indicates a time of creation of thedelivery point identification key, and the delivery point key includes asequence number corresponding to a sequence position within the time.33. The method of claim 31, wherein the delivery point key indicates ayear, a month, a day, an hour, a minute, and a second of creation of thedelivery point identification key, and the delivery point key includes asequence number corresponding to a time within the second correspondingto the creation of the delivery point identification key.
 34. The methodof claim 31, wherein the record type indicates that the address is oneof a street address, a rural route box, a post office box, a generaldelivery address, a high rise address, and a firm address.
 35. Themethod of claim 31, wherein the base record flag indicates that theenhanced delivery point database does not contain an alternative addressrecord corresponding to the delivery point.
 36. The method of claim 31,wherein the alternate record flag indicates that the enhanced deliverypoint database contains an alternative address record corresponding tothe delivery point.
 37. The method of claim 28, wherein the output dataincludes a verification of validity of the address.
 38. The method ofclaim 28, wherein the output data includes a correction of the address.39. The method of claim 28, wherein the output data includes acompletion of the address.
 40. The method of claim 28, furthercomprising: providing the database to a delivery system user.
 41. Asystem for matching an address, comprising: a component for comparingthe address against a plurality of address records in a database,wherein the database comprises at least one of a delivery point databaseand an enhanced delivery point database; a component for verifyingwhether a delivery point exists; and a component for providing outputdata indicating whether the address has been matched to at least one ofthe plurality of address records in the database.
 42. The system ofclaim 41, wherein the plurality of address records in the delivery pointdatabase comprises correct addresses for a corresponding plurality ofdelivery points.
 43. The system of claim 41, wherein the plurality ofaddress records in the enhanced delivery point database comprisescorrect addresses for a corresponding plurality of delivery points, theplurality of address records including delivery point identificationkeys.
 44. The system of claim 43, wherein the delivery pointidentification key comprises a delivery point key, a record type and atleast one of a base record flag and a alternate record flag.
 45. Thesystem of claim 44, wherein the delivery point key indicates a time ofcreation of the delivery point identification key, and the deliverypoint key includes a sequence number corresponding to a sequenceposition within the time.
 46. The system of claim 44, wherein thedelivery point key indicates a year, a month, a day, an hour, a minute,and a second of creation of the delivery point identification key, andthe delivery point key includes a sequence number corresponding to atime within the second corresponding to the creation of the deliverypoint identification key.
 47. The system of claim 44, wherein the recordtype indicates that an address is one of a street address, a rural routebox, a post office box, a general delivery address, a high rise address,and a firm address.
 48. The system of claim 44, wherein the base recordflag indicates that the enhanced delivery point database does notcontains an alternative address record corresponding to the deliverypoint.
 49. The system of claim 44, wherein the alternate record flagindicates that the enhanced delivery point database contains analternative address record corresponding to the delivery point.
 50. Thesystem of claim 41, wherein the output data verifies validity of theaddress.
 51. The system of claim 41, wherein the output data correctsthe address.
 52. The system of claim 41, wherein the output datacompletes the address.
 53. The system of claim 41, further comprising: acomponent for providing the database to a delivery system user.
 54. Amethod for matching an address, comprising: providing a database to adelivery system user, the database comprising a plurality of addressrecords, an address record comprising at least a correct address for adelivery point and a delivery point identification key, the deliverypoint identification key comprising: a delivery point key including ayear, a month, a day, an hour, a minute, and a second of creation of thedelivery point identification key, the delivery point key furtherincluding a sequence number corresponding to a time within the secondcorresponding to the creation of the delivery point identification key,a record type indicating that the address is one of a street address, arural route box, a post office box, a general delivery address, a highrise address, and a firm address, and at least one of a base record flagand a alternate record flag, the base record flag indicating that thedatabase does not contain an alternative address record corresponding tothe delivery point, and the alternate record flag indicating that thedatabase contains an alternative address record corresponding to thedelivery point; comparing the address against the plurality of addressrecords in the database; and providing output data indicating whetherthe address matched at least one of the plurality of address recordscomprising the database, wherein if the address matched, the output dataindicates at least one of a validity of the address, a correction of theaddress, and a completion of the address.